Agenda item

Camden SACRE will continue using the self-evaluation toolkit to assess and rate its own practice, identify areas for improvement, and determine the necessary actions for development.

Feedback is requested from members regarding the questions outlined in Sections 2 and 3 of the self-evaluation toolkit, which is included in the appendix.

Consideration was given to SACRE Annual Self-Evaluation Toolkit.

The Professional Advisor asked members to review each key area within Sections 2 (Standards and quality of provision of Religious Education) and 3 (effectiveness of the locally agreed syllabus) and provide their feedback on how Camden SACRE was performing against the criteria. Additionally, the Professional Advisor suggested that in subsequent years SACRE meetings on occasion could be held fully remotely or fully in-person because it either format it could allow for splitting into breakout rooms or smaller groups for the benefit of discussion items.

The following was discussed for each section:

2a. RE provision across the LA

·       The Professional Advisor shared that they now had a better understanding of schools through the network meetings. This was also reflected in the annual report, which included feedback from schools about their curriculum. There was a draft questionnaire for schools (page 107 in the agenda). This monitoring form would provide data on how many pupils had withdrawn from RE, a figure not yet available to the DfE. It would also capture how schools rated their RE provision and the support they would like. The Professional Advisor noted that progress had been made in this area.

·       A member said they would like more visibility and discussion on RE provision at SACRE meetings.

·       The Chair requested that schools present their good practices to SACRE for members to consider their impact. As part of this, schools could present pupils’ workbooks. The Chair also suggested that SACRE could visit schools for this activity. The Professional Advisor said schools would be keen to participate, suggesting this could be organised for a day SACRE met fully in-person, and said they would consult the networks on how to approach this request.

Action By – Professional Advisor

2b. Standards of achievement and public examination entries

·       The Professional Advisor stated that there were robust processes within the LA to gather information. Secondary schools had submitted their timetables to the DfE, which provided valuable data. However, the data still needed to be investigated and acted upon. While there were not many pupils sitting GCSEs, it would be useful to see that number increase and further understand the students who were not sitting GCSEs and what they were doing. SACRE needed more information to move to the next level.

·       A member said it would be helpful to be presented with term-by-term data.

·       The FSM data looked at whether children receiving FSM performed differently in different areas, and then thought needed to be put into how to target support. Schools with higher results tended to perform well across the board, even though some of those schools might not be considered high performing on a national level. However, triangulating data from various sources helped to get a more complete picture. The Professional Advisor suggested they could meet online with RE teachers to explain and understand more about the data, as teachers may have already discussed it with their line managers, which would provide useful feedback for SACRE. They also proposed that personal contact from SACRE would be beneficial for providing support to teachers.

·       A member said SACRE should spend more time on achievement and standards, hear more from Camden Learning regarding the schools' overview, and how their data compared with national trends. They emphasised the importance of discussing what actions were being taken to drive standards and quality and to consider the bigger picture. The Head of Governor Services stated that the 2024 Achievement and Standards report, prepared by Camden Learning, was to be published in the Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee agenda and could be shared with members.

Action By – Committee Clerk

·       The Head of Governor Services stated that the provisional exam results data for 2024-25 could be ready by the autumn term for SACRE to consider. The Professional Advisor stated that, next year, as part of a SACRE meeting, they could take members through the data step by step to analyse and identify triangulation. Additionally, the Professional Advisor suggested that if the monitoring form survey was to be conducted in July 2025, the results could be discussed in the autumn meeting.

·       The Chair stated that, for next year, members may want to hear about RE data and provision, and how this fit into the context of schools and other subjects to assess alignment. They also suggested measuring the impact to see if any difference was being made.

·       It was agreed that the Ramadan advice for schools would be circulated to members, which had been circulated to teachers and Heads of RE in the second week of January 2025 and was included in the headteacher’s weekly newsletter for all RE leaders in both primary and secondary schools.

Action By – Professional Advisor

2c. Quality of learning and teaching

·       The Professional Advisor stated that a monitoring report was needed, as there was currently no self-assessment data from schools on where they stood. While the data was not available at the moment, a plan was in place and development was underway.

2d. Quality of interaction and communication with leadership and management of RE in schools

·       The Professional Advisor stated that a strong system was now in place, with all elements developed and people aware of where to find them. Camden Learning was available to offer support when needed. Support for people attending meetings was in place, and there were now systems connecting people, rather than the primary route being through the Professional Advisor. Primary schools were easier to manage, while secondary schools were more challenging due to the larger scale and more teachers. However, they were building relationships and felt that the system was good and well-established. The Chair said that systems were now in place, and now it was about embedding practices and seeing the impact.

·       In response to the Chair asking how many specialists and non-specialist RE teachers there were in secondary schools, the Professional Advisor said this question would be added to the secondary school monitoring forms. It was acknowledged that there was a shortage of specialist RE teachers, which was an area of concern.

Action By – Professional Advisor

2e. Relations with academies and other non-LA maintained schools

·       The Professional Advisor stated that the relationships with academies were advanced, with a proactive strategy in place. Everyone was invited to all events, and all resources, including the syllabus, were free to use at the point of entry. There was an academy representative pending confirmation on joining as a SACRE member.

3a. The review process

·       The Professional Advisor said that the review processes were advanced and successfully implemented.

3b. The quality of the local Agreed Syllabus

·       The Professional Advisor stated that the quality of the syllabus was highly regarded, with positive feedback from schools, although it had also raised the level of challenge. Primary students were being asked to engage in more challenging tasks, but there were resources available to support this. Previously, there had been differences across schools, but this had now levelled out.

·       The Chair raised concerns about challenging teachers' subject knowledge and asked whether the syllabus was being adapted to meet the needs of children, particularly with the high levels of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in schools. In response, the Professional Advisor stated that during a recent RE advisors' network meeting, they had organised a session with two teachers specialising in SEND, one of whom also worked as an advisor to maintained schools. The discussion on how they adapted their teaching for SEND challenges was valuable, which led to the Professional Advisor sharing these insights with all schools they worked with, asking the teachers to contribute some of their slides.

3c. Launching and implementing the Agreed Syllabus

·       The Professional Advisor stated that the syllabus had been implemented well.

3d. Membership and training of the ASC

·       The Professional Advisor said this had been established at a good level.

3e. Developing the revised agreed syllabus

·       The Professional Advisor said that the syllabus strongly reflected worldviews and communities.

3f. Making best use of National Guidance

·       The Professional Advisor highlighted that national programs were used to develop disciplines to a high quality. Schools felt that the programs were of high quality, and they had received positive feedback, with quotes from schools supporting this.

RESOLVED –

THAT SACRE note Section 2 & 3 of the self-evaluation toolkit.